Display apparatus



Oct. 7, 1930. re. M. CRAIG 1,777,550

DISPLAY APPARATUS Original Filed Dec. 29; 1925 an-uenfoz Patented Oct. 7 7, 1930' i umrrsnlsm'rss PATENT OFFICE W RIcHAimM, CRAIG, oFSAnAN'roNIo, TEXAS, :ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 1 T0 THOMAS W; MENEFEE, or SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS I V DISPLAY APPARATUS Original application fild Dcceniber 29 This invention relates to displayiapparatus" and more particularly to an advertising Sign ofthe type disclosed in my Patent N o.

Oneobject of the invention is to provide a sign having figure's painted thereon, in pigment colors; against a neutral background; other advertising matter being also painted upon the signiin pigment colors and the Sign being illuminated by lights emit-f ting-spectral colors,having such relation to the "pigment colors and so co11trolledthat when the; sign is in operation afigurejwill appear to moveacross the sign board.

1 Another fobject of the invention is to provide a method of and apparatus for not only producing the effect of apparent continuous motion, or continuous change in appearance ofthe subject iinattento be displayed, but

, also displaying the subject matter under pleasingco-lored lighting conditions, so that,

as'an'advertising medium, the surface to be displayed attracts"immediate attention be-I cause ofthe presence of the factorsof colored light illumination and animation] The invention is illustrated in theaccom-f panying drawing wherein is disclosedan embodiment of theinventionj In the drawing, whichdis'to followfthe invention has been illustrated and willbe described as applied to advertising displays, but the principles ofthe invention-are by no means limited to this particular use as they may find embodif ment in displays of various characters, and, therefore, what is illustrated and described is to'be considered merely as representative of a concrete embodiment of the inventive ideaand not as restricting the invention to the specific disclosurefi Q In the description, reference will be made to a display surface andthis, term isintended to cover any surface of "anycharacter whatsoever upon which there is represented mart-emote displayed and regardless of the characterof the said matter. Where reference is inade to light rays havingdifferent color characteristics? the-term is intended to indicate that the light rays are' not identi- 1,698,223,' and of which the? present applicaand in the description;

1925, Seria1No, 78,248 Divided at this appli cation filed January 7, iezefiseriailno. 330,929. r v

cally the same but possess such spectral or color difference between themselves as to suit the purposes of the invention; I will also refer to spectral color and such'reference applies to colors'of the spectrum as represented by colored light rays. Reference will also be made to neutral colors which colors are employed, in the form of pigments, as backgrounds, andby neutral colors is meant suchcolors as do *not materially change under thelight rays by which the display sur face is illuminated or, in other words, those colors which displayno decided color characteristicssuch as are peculiar to primary colors, andwhich remain of about thesaine apparent density 7 under complementary or primary light ray illumination.

*Inthe embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing the display surface is indicated in general by the numeral. 37 and a longitudinally extending area at the said surface has applied to it a light neutral pigment of any of the light neutral colors so as to provide a light neutral background area indicated by the numeral 38. T0 certain other area portions of the display surface, pigment oi. a distinctive color, as for example red, is applied to provide background areas 89, and these areas are alternated with background areas 40 which are represented in a dark pigment color of a neutral character as'for example black or brown. The areas 39 and 40 extend,

in a series longitudinally of the display suriace and in a series oli set vertically with re-' lation to the background 88. a Figure repre-v sentations ll are depicted upon the background areas 39 in a dark neutral color such for example as black, and image representat-1ons4l2 are depleted upon the background areas 40 in a distinctive color such for ex ample asred andflwhich color corresponds to or does not possess any visible Spectral diderence from the color in which the back-' Uponthe background area'38, which as previously stated, is of a light neutral color, there may be represented any suitable advertising or other matter indicated by the numeral 43 and in representing this matter, a pigment of a distinctive color, in this in stance corresponding substantially to the color ofthe background areas 39', willbe employed, namely red. The numeral 44 1n. dicates a series of red light bulbs wh1ch;are,

arranged each above a respective one of the background areas 39 and 40, so as to illu minute the same in a manner to be presently explained, and the numeral 45 indicates a number of blue light bulbs which arealternately arranged with respect to the red light bulbs 44 and are positioned substantially so that the bulbs 45 will be. continuously lighted duringthe operation of the display apparatus. The numeral49 indicates in general an automatic flasher which may comprise a flasher disc-50 having an annular series of contact strips 51 upon its face, and the numeral 52 indicates a rotary shaft to which is connected a conductor wire 53 which leads from the last mentioned side of the source of current supply to the shaft supporting the contact arm 54 which, in the rotation of the shaft, is designed to successively sweep over the contact strips 51. Conductor wires 55 are connected to the contact strips 51 and are led to and electrically connected'with the other terminals of the socket-s for respective ones o-fthe red light bulbs 44. It will now be evident that inasmuch as the entire display surface is continuously illuminated by light rays from the blue light bulbs 45, all of the image representations 41 and 42 will, under such illumination, be invisible. This is due to the fact thatthe red background areas 39, under blue light illumination, will appear substantially black, and, as the image representations 41 are in black or any other suitable dark neutral color, there will be no contrastbetween the backgrounds and the image representations. Inasmuch as the image representations'42- are in red, they will appear substantially black under the blue light illumination and there will,.therefore, be no contrast between said representations and the black backgrounds 40 upon which they are depicted, However, as the flasher 49 is operated, thered lights 44 will be successively flashed on in order-ranging from the right hand end of the board to the left hand end thereof. Therefore, the image representations 41 and 42 will be successively illuminated and displayed to the vision of the observer. As each background area 39 is flooded with red light rays, the image representation 41 which is in black or some other dark neutral color, will appear substantially black against an. apparently. white background, and as each background area 40 is flooded with red light rays the imagerepresentation 4-2 7' thereon, being represented in red pigment, will appear substantially white against a black background. Therefore, inthis an:

bodiment of the invention, the image will apparently successively appear black and then white as the various movements are portrayed Inasmuch as the display surface in its entirety 1s. continuously flooded with blue light rays, the matter 43, being in red, will appear substantially black against the light neutral background and will be continuously displayed to View. It will be understood. that instead of employing red as a;dis

tinctive pigment color in which to portray the image representations 42 and the back- 'gi-ound areas 39, aswell as the matter 43, any other distinctive pigment color may be employed such for example as green, inwhich event green light bulbs would be sub stituted for the red light bulbs 44, and red light bulbs would be substituted for the blue light bulbs 45. In fact, there are many pos sible selections of pigment and spectral colors which may be employed in carrying out the invention as exemplified in the drawing. I What is claimed is: j i I 1. Means for displaying the effect of continuous motion comprising a display surface having series of alternately arranged background areas of dissimilar colors, the surface bearing a series of representations of an image representing different positions of 1novement thereof, each of the image representations'oecupyingan individual one of the background areas and being of a color substantially correspondingto the color of the next adjacent background area, means for displaying the whole of said surface under light rays of a spectral color in contrast with the color in which certain of the images are represented, and means for successively individually displaying the background areas under spectral light rays of a color corresponding to the color in which the last mentioned images are represented.

2. Means for displaying'the effect of continuous motion comprising a display surface having a series ofalternatel-y arranged background areas alternate ones of which are represented in a distinctive pigment color and the others in-av dark neutral color, the surface bearing a &ries of representations of an image representi difierentpositions. of. movement. thereof, image representation occupying an individual one of the background areas, the image representations in the first mentioned background areas being of a dark neutral color and the image representations in the other background areas being of a distinctive pigment color corresponding substantially to the color of the first mentioned background areas, means for V displaying the whole of said surface under light rays of a spectral color in contrast With the said distinctive pigment color, and means for successively individually displayingthe background areas under spectral light rays of a color corresponding to the said distinctive pigment color. I

In testimony whereof I afiix In signature. RICHARD M. CRAI [L. s] 

